Speech-Language Pathology

Clinical Education Requirements

A student must meet specific requirements of the Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education for the clinical practicum portion of the training program.

  • Be a graduate student in good standing or a senior who has been officially accepted and admitted to participate in SLP clinical practicum for the specified semester
  • Meet the GPA requirements within the department during each semester of clinical practicum
  • Be enrolled in the appropriate clinical course(s) for the specified credit hours (COMD 6100, 4100, 6200, 6300)

Prior to beginning clinical practicum, students must supply documentation of the following:

  • Current passed background check (contact the Teacher Education Office in the College of Education and Human Services)
  • Complete and updated immunizations (T-dap, TB, Varicella, Hepatitis B, MMR)
  • Current personal health insurance coverage
  • Current CPR certification
  • Verification of completion of 25 hours of guided observation by an ASHA-CCC SLP or Audiologist

The student should have successfully completed or be concurrently enrolled in the coursework that provides the knowledge and skills required for the client or practicum site in which the student is engaged. On the rare occasion when a student has a client or site in advance of the relevant coursework, appropriate support will be provided, which may require additional preparation on the part of the student. 

Off-campus practicum must be completed at sites and with supervisors who have been pre-approved by the externship coordinator in speech-language pathology. Students enrolled in the department may not complete independently-arranged clinical practica or any clinical contact  hours and then submit them to the department for later approval. Students must complete clinical practicum for the length of time and work hours established by the clinical coordinator and practicum supervisor.

Comprehensive Exam (SLP)

The comprehensive examination (COMD 6930) is the capstone experience for SLP graduate students following the Plan C program option. The comprehensive examination occurs during the final semester of the graduate program. To take the exam, students must have completed their academic coursework and met all KASA academic competencies.  

Registration

The examination is taken as a 1-credit course on a Pass/Fail basis. The time and place of the comprehensive examination will be determined by the chair of the comprehensive exam committee. Appropriate accommodations will be made for students with documented disabilities.

Purpose

The examination is designed to reveal the candidate’s knowledge of communication and swallowing development and disorders as well as assessment, identification, diagnosis, intervention and follow-up services for individuals with speech, language, and swallowing disorders. Students will be evaluated on their comprehension, integration, and application of knowledge from across coursework and clinic, as well as on the quality and clarity of their written expression.

Procedure

The examination will last approximately five hours, split into two sessions. The examination assesses student competence in two major topic areas of the scope of SLP practice in clinical case format. The topic areas are selected each year by a comprehensive exam committee. Examination questions within each area are designed and graded by at least two members of the committee with relevant expertise and experience in the graduate program.

Requirements

Students who fail to meet minimum performance on a topic area must take a supplementary examination on that area. The supplementary examination gives the student a second opportunity to demonstrate competence in the topic area of the original examination, in a manner and time determined by the area committee members. Students will be given the opportunity to speak with a committee member to obtain feedback on performance prior to the supplementary examination. The supplementary examination will be graded by the same members of the committee, with other committee members or other faculty brought in as deemed necessary by the committee. Failing to pass the supplementary exam will result in a Fail for the course. Students may re-take the Comprehensive Examination course once. The student will register in that course number again, either in that semester or a subsequent semester, as determined by the comprehensive examination committee.

Students enrolled in a Plan B thesis project route should determine from their primary mentor before the end of the semester prior to the exam that that they have made sufficient progress to continue or should switch to Plan C and enroll in COMD 6930. If the switch to Plan C is made too late to prepare and register for the exam, the student may have to wait until the following year when the exam is offered again.

Plan A (Thesis) or Plan B (Project) Policy and Procedures

The thesis or project is the capstone experience for students following the Plan A or B program options. It follows an individualized schedule over the course of the student’s graduate program.

A graduate thesis project is a major endeavor for a master’s student in speech-language pathology. It allows students to gain deep knowledge of a particular topic, learn about the research process, develop professional writing skills, and work closely with a research professor. This is a valuable opportunity for learning and growth that provides a foundation for later doctoral study and stronger skills in evidence-based clinical practice. However, students should be aware that the thesis or project is additional to an already demanding master’s program. The thesis route should be chosen only after serious reflection about personal capacity and interest, and after consultation with potential major professors and the graduate program advisor.

Speech-language pathology graduate students follow the Plan B requirements with projects that are more flexible and smaller in scope, but similar in quality to a Plan A thesis. In this division, Plan B projects are typically referred to as theses. The Plan B changes the student’s degree from a Master of Arts to a Master of Science.

Students in the MS in Communication Sciences non-clinical degree must complete a Plan A thesis.

To begin a Plan A/B thesis project, the student should first identify a major professor, and with that professor, determine a topic and a plan. The student should notify the SLP graduate advisor and review the appropriate forms for the Plan A or B option at the School of Graduate Studies forms website (http://rgs.usu.edu/graduateschool/forms/). The first form to obtain is the “Student and Advisor Expectations” form, which the student and major professor should review together. The graduate advisor will guide students through the particular forms and steps needed.

The student’s supervisory committee is chosen by the student in consultation with the student’s major professor. The supervisory committee consists of three USU faculty members. The student’s major professor is Chair of the committee. This person must be Graduate Faculty (usually PhD) in the Division of Speech-Language Pathology. There is one internal member and one external member. The internal member may be regular Graduate Faculty or may be clinical faculty with particular expertise. The external member is Graduate Faculty (usually PhD) from another division of COMDDE or from another USU department. The external member has two roles: (a) to hold an outsider view of the fairness and rigor of the process; and (b) to contribute particular expertise to the project. The committee can be larger than three with additional members contributing particular expertise. However, this is generally not done because a large committee can make the process more complicated.

The quality of the product, which should represent the student’s own best work, is the responsibility of the student. Monitoring the quality of the thesis or Plan B paper and mentoring the student in writing the report are responsibilities of the major professor, with the assistance of the supervisory committee. Editing by anyone other than the major professor and the supervisory committee should be limited to mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Drafts of sections should be submitted periodically to the major professor for critique. 

After the thesis project is defended and final revisions are completed, Plan A and Plan B final reports are submitted to the library to be archived on Digital Commons (https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/grad_info/2/). There are specific formatting requirements for the Plan A thesis (https://gradschool.usu.edu/resources/all-forms/style-electronic-publication). The Plan B paper should adhere to whatever format the student’s major professor considers appropriate. For more information on formatting the Plan B, see https://gradschool.usu.edu/resources/all-forms/planb-creative-project.